1 João 4
G. Campbell Morgan · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 João 4:8
Morgan - Borrow From this verse Medical technology has largely robbed us of the victorious deathbed scenes that end the biographies of many heroes of the Christian past. When the end comes now, we’re often isolated, sedated, and connected to machines. Not so John Fletcher, Wesley’s associate. On Sunday, August 7, 1785, he began his sermon at church, but his countenance grew drawn and weak, his voice faltered, and he nearly fainted. Distressed murmurs ran through the congregation, and his wife Polly rushed to his side to dissuade him from continuing. But Fletcher sensed this was his last sermon, and he continued, mustering strength to discourse on the love and mercy of God. Afterward, he was helped home and took to his bed, “never again to walk in this world.” He slept much after that, but during his lucid moments, Polly read and prayed with him. She later wrote: On Wednesday, he told me he had received such a manifestation of the full meaning of those words, “God is love,” as he could never be able to express. “It fills my heart,” said he, “every moment. O Polly, God is love! Shout, shout aloud! I want a gust to go to the ends of the earth.” He then told her that, should speech fail, he would tap her twice with his finger to signify their testimony to each other of God’s love. The next day, his speech became befuddled, and Polly leaned over and whispered, “God is love.” Instantly, as if all his powers were awakened, he broke out in a rapture. “God is love! love! love! O for that gust of praise!” Polly remained by his side. He was hardly able to utter another word, but he kept tapping her with his finger. At last his lips moved again, and she heard him pray, “Head of the Church, be head of my wife!” He sank quickly after that, yet frequently tapping Polly according to their sign, until “his precious soul entered into the joy of the Lord, without one struggle or groan, in the fifty-sixth year of his age.” 1 John 4:7-12 TODAY IN THE WORD He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8 A missionary was picking up a package in a foreign post office. When the official recognized her as a missionary, the woman became a little anxious, not knowing if that would help or hinder matters. But to her surprise, the official began recounting all the good things that she and her coworkers had done for the local church and the townspeople. Finally, the official exclaimed: “You love our people!” Then, to her greater surprise, he waived the tax on her package! The centrality of love for believers can’t be overemphasized; perhaps that’s why the command to love one another appears for the third time in today’s passage from 1 John (cf. 2:7–11; 3:11–18). Here, the command is linked to the very nature of God Himself. We can think about this in the following way: think of an individual who loves you. You may say that this person is loving, but that is not the same as saying that this person is love! God alone is the origin of love, and because we have been born from Him, we are able to love one another (v. 7). Although the claim that God is love is quite simple, we must think about love in biblical terms, because we use the verb love rather inconsistently! We can say that we love ice cream, and then say that we love our children. But biblical love is all about unconditional giving as exemplified in Jesus Christ. This love doesn’t even consider what it might get in return--it simply loves the other person. Additionally, love is understood by what God does in history. This is best seen in the love of the Father that gave His only Son, Jesus Christ (vv. 9–10). APPLY THE WORD The Christian perspective on love is unique among world religions. Although many groups advocate love generally, only God shows love lived out in the person of Christ. Octavius Winslow Daily Walking with God "God is love." 1 John 4:8 God in Christ is no longer a "consuming fire," but a God of love, of peace; a reconciled God. God in Christ holds out His hand all the day long to poor sinners. He receives all; He welcomes all; He rejects, He refuses, He casts out none. It is His glory to pardon a sinner. It is the glory of His power, it is the glory of His love, it is the glory of His wisdom, it is the glory of His grace, to take the prey from the mighty, to deliver the lawful captive, to pluck the brand from the burning, to lower the golden chain of His mercy to the greatest depth of human wretchedness and guilt, to lift the needy and place him among the princes. Behold Christ upon that cross! Every pang that He endures, every stroke that He receives, every groan that He utters, every drop of blood that He sheds, proclaims that God is love, and that He stands pledged and is ready to pardon the vilest of the vile. Justice, sheathing its sword, and retiring satisfied from the scene, leaves Mercy gloriously triumphant. And "God delights in mercy." Having at such an infinite cost opened a channel; even through the smitten heart of His beloved Son; through which His mercy may flow boundless and free, venture near, nothing doubting. No feature of your case is discouraging, or can possibly arrest the pardon. Your age, your protracted rebellion against God, your long life of indifference to the concerns of your soul, the turpitude and number of your sins, your lack of deep convictions or of stronger faith, nor worth or worthiness to recommend you to His favor; are no true impediments to your approach, are no pleas why you should not draw near and touch the outstretched scepter, bathe in the open fountain, put on the spotless robe, welcome the gracious pardon, and press it with gratitude and transport to your adoring heart. In the light of this truth, cultivate loving and kindly views of God. Ever view Him, ever approach Him, and ever transact your soul's affairs with Him, in and through Jesus. He is the one Mediator between God and your soul. God your Father may now be leading you through deep and dark waters. His voice may sound roughly to you. His dim outline is, perhaps, all that you can see of Him. His face seems veiled and averted; yet deal with Him now in Christ, and all your hard thoughts, trembling fears, and unbelieving doubts shall vanish. In Jesus every perfection of God dissolves into grace and love. With your eye upon the cross, and looking at God through that cross, all the dark letters of His providence will in a moment become radiant with light and glory. That God, who has so revealed Himself in Jesus, must be love, all love, and nothing but love, even in the most dark, painful, and afflictive dealings with His beloved people! - Ray
1 João 4:9
Morgan - Cooling Blood - Borrow From this verse It wasn’t easy for Corrie ten Boom to forgive the Nazi captors who had tormented her at Ravensbruck. They had caused her to suffer horribly. Even worse, they had caused the death of her sister Betsy. Ten years after her release, Corrie ran into a lady who wouldn’t look her in the eyes. Asking about her, Corrie was told the woman had been a nurse at a concentration camp. Suddenly the memories flashed back. Corrie recalled taking Betsy to the infirmary to see this woman. Betsy’s feet were paralyzed and she was dying. The nurse had been cruel and sharp-tongued. Corrie’s hatred now returned with vengeance. Her rage so boiled that she knew of but one thing to do. “Forgive me,” she cried out to the Lord, “Forgive my hatred, O Lord. Teach me to love my enemies.” The blood of Jesus Christ seemed to suddenly cool her embittered heart, and Corrie felt the rage being displaced with a divine love she couldn’t explain. She began praying for the woman, and one day shortly afterward she called the hospital where the nurse worked and invited the woman to a meeting at which she was speaking. “What!” replied the nurse. “Do you want me to come?” “Yes; that is why I called you.” “Then I’ll come.” That evening the nurse listened carefully to Corrie’s talk, and afterward Corrie sat down with her, opened her Bible, and explained 1 John 4:9: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” The woman seemed to thirst for Corrie’s quiet, confident words about God’s love for us, His enemies. And that night, a former captive led her former captor to “a decision that made the angels sing.” God had taken Corrie’s subconscious feelings of hatred, she later explained, and transformed them, using them as a window through which His light could shine into a darkened heart. Love, INC (Read: Colossians 3:12-17+) When I heard about the service agency called Love, INC, I assumed that meant Love, Incorporated. But it actually means Love—In the Name of Christ. The organization’s goal is to mobilize churches to reach out to a hurting and needy world in the name of Christ. Throughout history, people have said they’re acting in Jesus’ name, when in reality it was for their own advantage. During World War II, the horrors of the Holocaust were sometimes rationalized by those who labeled the Jews “Christ-killers.” Today racist groups dare to use “Christian” in their name or literature while using violence and hatred to intimidate people. The Word of God is so saturated with the word love that it’s hard to imagine how anyone could justify doing hateful acts in the name of Christ. Love is at the core of the gospel: Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was motivated by God’s love. “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1John 4:9). Teach me to love—this is my plea; May all the Spirit’s graces shine through me; Tear from my heart all hate, foolish pride; Help me to live like Christ the crucified. —Peterson © 1968 John W. Peterson Music Company.
1 João 4:19
Morgan - The Pearly Gate - Borrow From this verse : 365 inspiring stories We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 William Tyndale was a brilliant, winsome scholar whose life was changed by finding today’s verse in Erasmus’ Greek New Testament. He called it the pearly gate through which I entered the Kingdom. I used to think that salvation was not for me, since I did not love God; but those precious words showed me that God does not love us because we first loved Him. No, no; we love Him because He first loved us. It makes all the difference! Tyndale was born at a critical time. Christopher Columbus was discovering whole new worlds; the printing press was churning out books; and Luther’s Reformation had rediscovered evangelical theology. As a young man, Tyndale felt the time was ripe to translate the Bible into the common languages, and began dreaming of rendering the Bible into English. But his idea was poorly received by the British Church and State. Sir Thomas More was commissioned by Henry VIII to refute Tyndale, and the two carried on a war of words. In one of his early salvos, Tyndale published a letter in 1531 from Antwerp where he was in hiding. It began: Our love and good works make not God first love us, nor change Him from hate to love. No, His love and deeds make us love, and change us from hate to love. For He loved us when we were evil, and His enemies; and chose us to make us good and to shew us love and to draw us to Him, that we should love again. If ye could see what is written in the first epistle of John, though all the other Scriptures were laid apart, ye should see all this. … Tyndale died at the stake at age 42, but he produced so accurate an English translation of Scripture that more than 90 percent of all his wordings appeared nearly 100 years later in the King James Version. He is called the “Father of the English Bible.” David Jeremiah -THE PEARLY GATE (borrow Sanctuary) 1 JOHN 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us. Why does God love us? Not because we’re lovable by nature. Deuteronomy 7:7–8 offers this remarkable answer: “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you.… ” Read that again! “The LORD … set His love on you … because … the LORD loves you.” He loves us just because He loves us. His nature is to love. Why do we love God? Not because we’re loving by nature. First John 4:19 offers a remarkable answer: “We love Him because He first loved us.” Our love is responsive. William Tyndale, who was later burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English, was a brilliant, winsome scholar whose life was changed by finding 1 John 4:19 in the Greek New Testament. He called it “the pearly gate through which I entered the Kingdom.” Tyndale wrote, “I used to think that salvation was not for me, since I did not love God; but those precious words showed me that God does not love us because we first loved Him. No, no; we love Him because He first loved us. It makes all the difference! Greg Laurie - THE CHOICE WE ALL MUST MAKE We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Man, who was created uniquely in the very image of God, was placed in a literal paradise on Earth—heaven on Earth, if you will. He had every legitimate comfort that this world could offer. There was nothing that Adam lacked. He was surrounded by unparalleled beauty. It was a perfect climate. The animal kingdom was subdued. There was no crime, no violence, no perversion—just absolute perfection. Not only that, but God brought a companion for Adam named Eve. And the best feature of all: Adam was able to walk in undisturbed fellowship and communion with God, twenty-four hours a day. But God gave Adam another wonderful treasure, something that we all have. It is called free will. God loved Adam and wanted to have fellowship with him. But God wanted Adam to love Him not out of fear, but out of love, because love, by its very nature, must be voluntary. If we are going to really love God, then we need to be able to choose to do so out of our own free will. Involuntary love is a contradiction in terms, and there really is no such thing. If Adam was free to love God on his own initiative, then he also was free not to love God. If he was able to make the right moral choice, then he was, by necessity, also able to make the wrong moral choice. And we all know the choice that he made. God’s creation of morally free beings in His own image clearly ran the risk of having them reject Him and His love. Tragically for Adam and Eve, the wrong choice was made, and we have been feeling the repercussions of it to this very day. Kenneth Osbeck - Amazing Grace (borrow) MY JESUS, I LOVE THEE William R. Featherston, 1846–1873 We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) And shall I use these ransomed powers of mine For things that only minister to me? Lord, take my tongue, my hands, my heart, my all, And let me live and love for Thee! —Unknown The spiritual depth of “My Jesus, I Love Thee” is made all the more remarkable by the knowledge that it was written by a teenager. William Ralph Featherston of Montreal, Canada, is thought to have written these lines of heartfelt gratitude to Christ at the time of his conversion experience when only 16. It is believed he then sent a copy of his poem to an aunt in Los Angeles, and somehow the text appeared anonymously in print in an English hymnal, The London Book, in 1864. Several years later, a well-known American Baptist pastor, Dr. A. J. Gordon, discovered the anonymous hymn in the English hymnbook and decided to compose a better melody for it. With its new tune the hymn has since been included in nearly every evangelical hymnal and has been sung frequently by believers everywhere during hushed moments of rededication to God. How marvelous are the workings of God in bringing together expressions such as these, providing a hymn that has been used in a remarkable way for more than a century to direct Christians to a deeper relationship with their Lord. May these words cause each of us even now to renew our devotion to God so that this love for Christ may be reflected in all of the activities of this day. My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine—For Thee all the follies of sin I resign; my gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou: If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me and purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree; I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow: If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, and praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath; and say when the death-dew lies cold on my brow, “If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.” In mansions of glory and endless delight, I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow, “If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.” For Today: John 14:23; Ephesians 2:4, 5; 1 Peter 1:8; 2:9; 1 John 4:7–21 Express your own love for the Savior in fresh and fervent words; reflect on what He has done for you, what He is presently doing, and the future glory that still awaits. Determine to demonstrate your loving devotion Kenneth Osbeck - Amazing Grace (borrow) O HOW I LOVE JESUS Frederick Whitfield, 1829–1904 We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) This simply stated, lilting musical testimony has been another of the Sunday school favorites since it was first published in leaflet form in 1855. It has since been translated into various languages and has been included in numerous evangelical hymnals. The words express so well the response of believers of any age as we reflect on all that Christ has done and continues to do for us daily. Indirectly, the hymn also exalts the written Word, for it is only through the study of the revealed written Word that we gain a true knowledge of the Living Word. The text originally included eight stanzas. Several interesting verses not found in present hymnals include these words: It tells me of a Father’s smile that beams upon His child. It cheers me through this little while, through deserts waste and wild. It bids my trembling soul rejoice, and dries each rising tear. It tells me in a still small voice, to trust and not to fear. The author, Frederick Whitfield, was an Anglican church clergyman. He is credited with more than 30 books of religious verse. The anonymous tune is a typical 19th century American folk song used in the campground meetings of that time. Even a century after they were written, these ageless words are still appropriate for expressing our love and devotion for Christ: There is a name I love to hear; I love to sing its worth; it sounds like music in mine ear, the sweetest name on earth. It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free; it tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea. It tells me what my Father hath in store for ev’ry day, and, tho I tread a darksome path, yields sunshine all the way. It tells of One whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe, who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below. Chorus: O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus—because He first loved me! For Today: John 14:23; Philippians 2:9–11; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 4:7–21; Jude 21 Breathe a prayer expressing your love to Christ for all that He means to you. Thank Him for initiating His love on your behalf. Thank Him also for the daily sunshine He gives. Carry this little musical nugget with you throughout the day— Alexander
1 João 4:19
Morgan - Jesus Loves Even Me A Song in My Heart: 366 Devotions from Our Best-Loved Hymns After the railroad disaster that claimed the life of hymnist Philip Bliss, his writings were compiled and published. Included was a letter to his mother, dated February 7, 1874: “Dear Mother . . . It seems to us your spirit grows sweeter and your life more even and calm. It is not surprising that it should be so; for haven’t you and your friends prayed for it? If we are in Christ may we not all expect to grow more and more like Him? . . . You may be sure we shall pray for you, and I can never forget that you prayed for me and watched over me many years before I could pray for myself.” Just as Bliss expressed appreciation to his mother by letter, he did so to his heavenly Father in this hymn, published in 1870. FEBRUARY 7 I am so glad that our Father in Heav’n Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n; Wonderful things in the Bible I see, This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me. Though I forget Him, and wander away, Still He doth love me wherever I stray; Back to His dear loving arms would I flee, When I remember that Jesus loves me. Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing, When in His beauty I see the great King, This shall my song through eternity be, “Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me!” I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves even me. We love Him because He first loved us. – 1 John 4:19 A W Tozer - Yes, God Loves Us We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) If we are to have any satisfying and lasting understanding of life, it must be divinely given. It begins with the confession that it is indeed the God who has revealed Himself to us who is the central pillar bearing up the universe. Believing that, we then go on to acknowledge that we have discovered His great eternal purpose for men and women made in His own image. I heard a brilliant Canadian author being interviewed on the radio concerning world conditions, and he said: “I confess that our biggest mistake is the fond belief that we humans are special pets of Almighty God and that God has a special fondness for us as people.” We have a good answer: man as he was originally created is God’s beloved. Man in that sense is the beloved of the universe. God said, “I have made man in My image and man is to be above all other creatures. Redeemed man is to be even above the angels in the heavens. He is to enter into My presence pardoned and unashamed, to worship me and to look on My face while the ages roll on!” No wonder we believe that God is the only certain foundation! Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings - Page 6 Love’s Motivation - Steve McVey We love, because He first loved us.1 JOHN 4:19 Have you ever prayed for God to help you love Him more? If so, this verse is the answer to your prayer. Every good thing that comes out of your life is the result of His work in you. His response to your desire to love Him more is to cause you to understand better how much He loves you. None of us can give what we don’t know we have. To love others you must know how much you are loved. As you grow in your understanding of the greatness of your Father’s love for you, that same love will begin to overflow your life and spill out to Him and to others. There is no love apart from God’s love—and as His love fills your consciousness you won’t be able to contain it! The way to love God more or love others more is the same. It’s to understand the depth of His love. Open your heart today and receive His love in a fresh and meaningful way. It is the one who knows he or she is deeply loved who loves most. Grace Walk Moments: A Devotional GOD’S NEVER-ENDING LOVE - Charles Stanley We love Him because He first loved us. 1 JOHN 4:19 God’s love is flowing toward each one of us as a deep, wide, beautiful, and never-ending river. It is up to us to jump in. God’s love is also unconditional. It is not based upon what we do, what we have, or what we achieve. His love is given to us because of who we are, His creation. It is not grounded on any other premise or motivation. You can’t earn unconditional love. You can’t merit it in any way. You can’t deserve it. God says you are worthy of His love solely because it is His desire to love you. There is nothing you can do to win more of God’s love. Charles Swindoll - EVERYBODY “ACT MEDIUM” We love each other because he loved us first. 1 JOHN 4:19 The children worked long and hard on their little cardboard shack. It was to be a special spot—a clubhouse, where they could meet together, play, and have fun. Since a clubhouse has to have rules, they came up with three: • Nobody act big. • Nobody act small. • Everybody act medium. Not bad theology! In different words, God says the very same thing: “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). Just“actmedium.”Believable.Honest,human,thoughtful,anddown-to-earth. Day by Day with Charles Swindoll In a world that says bigger is better, how do you maintain a humble, “medium” attitude? [Your Response Here] Puritan Daily Readings - Evidence of His Love We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 Let us be thankful to God for a crucified Redeemer. There is nothing in heaven or earth which is such an amazing wonder as this; nothing can vie with it for excellence. All love and thankfulness is due to God, who has given us His Son, not only to live, but to die for us a death so shameful, a death so accursed, a death so sharp, that we might be repossessed of the happiness we had lost. All love and thankfulness is due to Christ, who did not only pay a small sum for us as our surety, but bowed His soul to death, to raise us to life, was numbered among transgressors, that we might have a room among the blessed. Our crimes merited our sufferings, but His own mercy made Him a sufferer for us; for us He sweat those drops of blood, for us He trod the wine-press alone, for us He assuaged the rigor of divine justice, for us, who were not only miserable, but offending creatures, and overwhelmed with more sins to be hated, than with misery to be pitied. He was crucified for us by His love, who deserved to die by His power, and laid the highest obligation upon us, who had laid the highest offenses upon Him. This death is the ground of all our good; whatever we have, is a fruit that grew upon the cross...Nothing is such an evidence of His love as His cross; the miracles He wrought, and the cures He performed in the time of His life, were nothing to the kindness of His death, wherein He was willing to be accounted worse than a murderer in His punishment, that He might thereby effect our deliverance. Deuteronomy 10:12 Fear and Love Someone shared with me her observation about two bosses. One is loved but not feared by his subordinates. Because they love their boss but don’t respect his authority, they don’t follow his guidelines. The other boss is both feared and loved by those who serve under him, and their good behavior shows it. The Lord desires that His people both fear and love Him too. Today’s Bible passage, Deuteronomy 10, says that keeping God’s guidelines involves both. In verse 12, we are told “to fear the Lord your God” and “to love Him.” To “fear” the Lord God is to give Him the highest respect. For the believer, it is not a matter of feeling intimidated by Him or His character. But out of respect for His person and authority, we walk in all His ways and keep His commandments. Out of “love,” we serve Him with all our heart and with all our soul—rather than merely out of duty (v.12). Lord, You are holy and Your thoughts are much higher than mine. I bow before You. Thank You for salvation in Jesus. I love You and want to obey You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Amen. If we fear and love God, we will obey Him. The Constraint of Christ - Vance Havner We love him, because he first loved us. I John 4:19. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9. Christ is the true motivation of Christian conduct. We do not love Him because we ought but because love begets love. He loved us and our hearts respond. We love others because His love constrains us, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Likewise, we give, not because we ought and not because of the need primarily, but because He gave. "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe." Freely we have received, freely we give. Not grudgingly or of necessity, but cheer-fully. Witness a drive for church funds, a pitiful plea on Sunday to wangle a few dollars of "church dues" and you will perceive how far we have left the New Testament way. The stunts, picnics, bazaars, the moth-eaten jokes, the high-pressure—"Who'll give ten dollars?" God forgive us! God will never accept such money wrung from church misers. It is the gift without the giver, a vain oblation Adrian Rogers - 1 John 4:19 Salvation is the work of God. It is not "do-it-yourself." Do you think you were convicted of sin by yourself? The Bible says, "There is no one who seeks God" (Rom. 3:11). God Himself is the One who ran you down and convicted you of your sin. If He couldn't run faster than you could, you would never have been saved. Not only is He the Convictor, He is also the Convertor. He is the One who opened your understanding. That's the reason I pray about this before I preach, because anything I can talk you into, someone else can talk you out of. But anything the Holy Spirit gives you is yours. WHY BELIEVERS SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER. - James Smith 1 John 4:19. I. Because He First Loved Us (4:19, R.V.). In the R.V. it reads: "We love because He first loved us." This dropped word means that we love not only God, but also one another. II. Because He Still Loves Us (4:11). III. Because He Commands Us (3:23). IV. Because He has Come to Dwell Within Us (4:12). V. Because We have Passed from Death to Life (3:14). VI. Because We are no Longer Children of the Devil as Formerly (3:10). LOVE AS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. Galatians 5:22. I. The Author of It. "The Spirit." 1. He begets it by revealing the work of Christ. 2. He sustains it by applying the Word of Christ. II. The Character of It. "Love." 1. It is of the nature of God (1 John 4:8). 2. It is to dwell in us (1 John 4:16). III. The Outcome of It. "Fruit." 1. Fruit is the evidence of life (1 John 4:19). 2. Fruit is the proof of a healthy condition (2 Cor. 5:14) Joseph Stowell - LOVING GOD WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.—1 John 4:19 When we fall in love, we learn quickly how to express it. Whether it is flowers, little surprises, sweet notes, a wink across a crowded room, a mid-morning phone call, a listening ear, or a word of encouragement, nothing is too good or too much. Love is the most precious thing we give in a relationship. We give it to our friends, our marriage partners, our children, our coworkers, and even our cats and dogs. So it should come as no surprise that love is the central issue in our relationship with God (Matthew 22:34–40). Loving God starts by understanding the profound truth that God loves us. As God’s Word states, “we love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Not only is it true that He is love (1 John 4:8, 16), it is transformingly true that He is busy loving you as you read this. And if you doubt that you are loved by Him, think of the overwhelming proof expressed in Jesus’ death for you. God is the initiator; He simply asks us to reciprocate. He wants our responses to His love to be natural, spontaneous, and free—not forced. Early in our ministry, our mode of transportation was marginal, to say the least. At the close of one Thanksgiving Eve service, the members of our church, much to our surprise, gave us a set of keys to a new car they had leased for us. I drove away that night with a deep gratefulness toward the flock that had been so sensitive and generous toward us. I had always sought to be faithful in shepherding them, but their love for our family stimulated me to seek new ways to express how much I loved them in return. We have been and are loved by God in far deeper and more enduring ways than anyone else has ever loved us. When we get a grip on this, our lives will search for ways to love and please Him as a thankful response rather than a grudging responsibility. Acts of loyalty, obedience, sacrifice, and service to others all say, “I love You, God,” in clear and compelling ways. How does He know that you love Him HE FIRST LOVED US We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 It's easy to be fond of nice people. It's natural to see virtue in one's own flesh and blood. However, to love an outsider who is rebellious and obnoxious is neither easy nor natural. The ability to possess genuine, unselfish regard for completely unlovely people is rare in this world. In fact, it is an impossibility apart from the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the light of this, God's love for mankind is certainly amazing beyond degree. Knowing exactly how wicked human beings would become — how they would lie, steal, be immoral, and manifest hateful and unkind attitudes—He still loved us so much He gave His only Son for our salvation. He loved us from before. the foundation of the world, and He loves us still — even though there is nothing in us to draw forth His favor. I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew, He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me; It was not I that found, O Savior true; No, I was found of Thee! —Anon. God "repented" that He had made man, but He never repented that He redeemed him! James Smith - ONE WHO HAS LOVE TO CHRIST (1 John 4:19). Love is the first evidence of a regenerated heart. When the love of God is shed abroad in the heart it will rise up in all its strength and fulness to Him from whence it came. It is a love that now believes and rejoices with joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8). We love [God] because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 One evening my friend showed me one of the three decorative plaques that would be part of a wall arrangement in her living room. “See, I’ve already got Love,” she said, holding up the plaque with the word written on it. “Faith and Hope are on order.” So Love comes first, I thought. Faith and Hope soon follow! Love did come first. In fact, it originated with God. First John 4:19 reminds us that “We love [God] because he first loved us.” God’s love, described in 1 Corinthians 13 (known as the “love chapter”), explains a characteristic of real love when it says, “Love never fails” (v. 8). Faith and hope are essential to the believer. It is only because we are justified by faith that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). And hope is described in Hebrews 6 as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (v. 19). One day we will have no need of faith and hope. Faith will become sight and our hope will be realized when we see our Savior face to face. But love is eternal, for love is of God and God is love (1 John 4:7-8). “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”—it’s first and last (1 Cor. 13:13). Thank You, Lord, for Your faithful love and for the love of family and friends. Please help me find ways to show Your love to others today. We love because God first loved us. J C Philpot - The soul melts at the sight! "We love Him, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 Our affections never flow unto Jesus, until we have had some divine discovery of Him to our heart and conscience. We may try to love Him—we may think it our duty to do so—we may be secretly ashamed of our miserable coldness, and may lament our barrenness in love to Jesus. But no power of our own can raise up true love to Jesus. We cannot love the Lord until we know that the Lord loves us—nor can we love Him with all our heart and soul, until He tells us that He loves us with all His. When He says "I have loved you with an everlasting love," and sheds abroad His love in the soul—this gives power to love Him. When, too, He sets Himself before our eyes in His divine beauty and blessedness—this makes us fall in love with Him. For beauty kindles love. It is so often in natural love—and always so in divine love. Jesus has but to touch the heart and it softens. He has but to appear—and the soul melts at the sight! Nansen, the Norwegian explorer, tried to measure an extremely deep part of the Arctic ocean. The first day, he used his longest measuring line but couldn't reach bottom. He wrote in his log book, "The ocean is deeper than that!" The next day, he added more line but still could not measure the depth, and so again in his record book he wrote, "Deeper than that!" After several days of adding more and more pieces of rope and cord to his line, he had to leave that part of the ocean without learning its actual depth. All he knew was that it was beyond his ability to measure. GOD'S LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS. Joseph Stowell - LOVING GOD WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US. —1 John 4:19 When a Pharisee asked Jesus what the most important commandment was, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38). Loving God is priority number one. But what does that mean? First, loving God means more than feeling good about Him. This is welcome news. There are times in our lives when we don’t feel good about much of anything. New Testament love, agape love, means choosing to yield to God. We express our love when we yield ourselves—the totality of our being—to Him. And self is important in the process. God never intended that we think badly about self or relegate self to the lowest rung of our existence. Self is only degraded when we spend self on self. Self is intended to be a treasure we give completely to our Lord as an expression of love. Love means giving the gift of “me” . . . willingly and gratefully. Love is total surrender. The second piece of good news about loving God is that while it is a responsibility, it is more than just that. It is a response to His matchless love for us. It’s not a matter of “bucking up” and loving Him but rather of getting a grip on how much He loved us. Once we realize that we are among the “forgiven much” we will desire to love Him much. We all know this dynamic. When someone performs a loving act in your behalf, your first instinct is to repay that with an act of love in return. And just in case you don’t think He has done much for you lately, think again. If He never does anything else but save us, indwell us, protect and preserve us and prepare a place for us, He has already done more than we deserve. Enough to keep us looking for ways to express our love in return for the rest of our earthside lives. God wonderfully loves us far beyond what we deserve. We should be honored that He desires our love in return. What one thing can you do today to demonstrate your love for God Well-Loved - A friend described his grandmother as one of the greatest influences in his life. Throughout his adult years, he has kept her portrait next to his desk to remind himself of her unconditional love. “I really do believe,” he said, “that she helped me learn how to love.” Not everyone has had a similar taste of human love, but through Christ each of us can experience being well-loved by God. In 1 John 4, the word love occurs 27 times, and God’s love through Christ is cited as the source of our love for God and for others. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1Jn 4:10+). “We have known and believed the love that God has for us” (1Jn 4:16+). “We love Him because He first loved us” (1Jn 4:19). God’s love is not a slowly dripping faucet or a well we must dig for ourselves. It is a rushing stream that flows from His heart into ours. Whatever our family background or experiences in life—whether we feel well-loved by others or not—we can know love. We can draw from the Lord’s inexhaustible source to know His loving care for us, and we can pass it on to others. Loved with everlasting love, Led by grace that love to know— Spirit, breathing from above, Thou hast taught me it is so! —Robinson Nothing is more powerful than God’s love. James Smith - WHY BELIEVERS SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER 1 JOHN 4:19 I. Because He First Loved Us (4:19, R.V.). In the R.V. it reads: “We love because He first loved us.” This dropped word means that we love not only God, but also one another. II. Because He Still Loves Us (4:11). III. Because He Commands Us (3:23). IV. Because He has Come to Dwell Within Us (4:12). V. Because We have Passed from Death to Life (3:14). VI. Because We are no Longer Children of the Devil as Formerly (3:10) C H